10-26-2015, 02:54 PM
(10-26-2015, 02:09 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Too much bickering in this thread. I am going to post my final thoughts and bail on this one.
1. Hill has been a disappointment so far this year. Some people may have had their expectations set too high, but even people who just expected him to be around the same he was last year are disappointed. Six TDs are nice, but we need more than 38 rushing yards and a 3.1 average from a guy with Hill's skills.
2. It appears that Hill is not attacking the hole like he was last year. This has nothing to do with if the QB is under center or in the shotgun. A RB can be too hesitant no matter where he gets the ball unless he is running a a straight dive when he can just put his head down and charge.
3. For some reason Hill does not seem to get the same holes to hit as Bernard does. Even if Hill is too hesitant it is not like he is so slow that big hole close before he gets there. I doubt this has anything to do with our O-line trying harder when Gio gets the ball. Instead I think it is the result of a bunch of NFL Defensive Coordinators spending a lot of time worrying about Hill over the off season. It is possible that they have different reads or run fits when Hill is in the game. Or maybe we block plays slightly differently when Hill is in the game. Without paying a lot of close attention it is hard to tell the slight differences in the many different ways a simple off-tackle run can be blocked. Plus many blocking schemes look different based on how the defense lines up. Even when a DT lines up in a gap it makes a big difference if he is on the inside our outside edge of the gap.
All of the above gets a big
and + rep.There is a lot of time left in the season for Hill to find his legs (pun). I have to believe that the running game will open up as teams have to re-scheme for the Bengals 2015 offense and the weather begins to play a factor as well. I hope they can all stay healthy for a late season run.
